Motorists go green to reduce costs
13.07.2011 - Stuart Milne
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Britain's motorists are falling in love with green cars, but motorists in Leeds are in the pink, according to new research.
New research by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders into the 31m cars currently registered in the UK found average CO2 emissions have tumbled by 15 per cent as motorists rush to seek models with reduced running costs.
This improvement is aided by the huge number of low-emission cars now available, and the huge volume of them on the used market continues to drive down prices.
But the data reveals a huge difference in motorists' attitudes towards running costs and the environment. Chesterfield tops the charts with 29 per cent of cars emitting less than 140g/km of CO2 while Plymouth comes out worst with just 19 per cent achieving the same level of emissions.
The SMMT's data found silver continues to be the most popular colour, a position held since 2008 when it replaced blue. The number of white cars dramatically increased during 2010, with the figure up by 7 per cent.
White is particularly popular along the south coast but motorists in Leeds have a soft spot for pink with more than 100 vehicles registered there in the last five years, giving the city the highest proportion of pink cars in the country.
The report found the total number of cars on Britain's roads grew by 0.7 per cent to 31.26m, with Scotland and the South West both showing increases of 4 per cent since 2005. But over the same period Greater London and the North West have seen a decline.
